Am I Learning a Valuable Lesson??

[BeHiNdYa]

To start I would like to say that this a very useful forum and the people here seem real great. That said let me get into my question.

I have been playing texas holdem for about 5 months now. A friend of mine taught me the game, and I had some success playing real, real low limit holdem. I guess I got hooked and opened up an account on partypoker.com, I don't recommend this site. I started depositing money into my account so I could play some real great low limit games. The only problem is that I was getting drunk and playing into all hours of the morning. So I lost my first 2 hundred bucks in less than a week! I was acting stupid, didn't know much about holdem and just saw the opportunity that the 15$/30$ tables give you...Big Mistake!! By the end of the month I was down six hundred!!! I stopped playing holdem because I was on tilt and thought everyone and everything was cheating and scamming on me, kinda like zitz was talking. I recently grew some of my manhood back and decided to give it another try. I did alot more research and only played at the .50/1$ tables. This was a wonderful time, but I am still down around forty bucks. I was just wondering if people (trusted sources, ie. moderators??) had success playing online holdem. I have a great time playing, and usually make smart moves, but I don't want to be beating a dead horse trying to win if it is impossible. One more thing before I end this. I had pocket Aces and preflop raised, because I was the button, and got beat all the way to the river. The very next hand, pocket Aces again, same results. Is this normal?? Thanks alot for bearing with this essay, and any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Great forum, hope to post again.

[karasz]

well, if you are playing the game drunk i can only wonder how you lost 200 bucks... then jumping to the 15-30 table when you arent ready is a bad move, you are too inexperienced, and its just a bad move for anyone... gotta start at the small tables and work your way up...


hell bill gates plays at the 3-6 or 5-10 tables not cuz hes cheap but because thats where he is comfortable at playing...

now your down 600 bucks and think its impossible to win...

its possible but you gotta long road ahead... stay at the .50-$1 tables, until you feel comfortable to move up... to the $1-$2 tables... and so on...

this reminds me of the beginning of rounders... mike puts it all on the line and gets blasted...

[Poker_Vendetta]

Yeah, I've had two aces beaten two times in a row, when I had them, as well. It's tough to lose with them but, they are just two cards! With ink on them! You have a brain, and limbs and what not, you are the most important part of the game! Not the cards, right!? Anywho, going on tilt is a certain recipe for defeat. Although I do not drink, and do not fully know the affects of it, I would certainly think playing poker while you were drunk would loosen you up so much it would be unreal. In which case, you would lose A LOT of money. I believe a simple, but good strategy is to be tight-aggressive. I do not know your skill level but I'll refresh you anyway even if you have heard of this style. It means, basically like it says. You wait for mediocre-great cards, and play them aggressively depending on your position. If you aces get beat well--you can not do anything else about it except lay it down when your opponent re-raises the max when the 3rd diamond comes down. Or any other scenario. That is the second CRUCIAL part to having success. There are many, many parts of course but you have to know when to fold'em, as well as hold'em. That will come with experience, it's tough but you have to learn.

[Nighttrain]

woah...slow down.five months you need to be at the little table until you get your game right.I suggest you pick the lowest limit and master it then move up.It may sound lame but if you do it you will save mad cash and your game will become solid.STOP DRINKING AND GAMBLING.

[BeHiNdYa]

Thanks alot for the reply guys. I know that I should not get drunk and play holdem so I stopped. As for making money online. I have totaled my losses to around 650. Should I be as depressed as I am?? Should I still feel positive about online holdem? Am I ever going to make any of my money back? I love to play holdem, but find myself playing nothing but pocket pairs, AK-AJ,KQ-KJ,QJ and my blind hands. Should I be playing A3, or K6 to the flop?? And I am tired of losing great hands because some guy pays to see the flop while he is holding 72o! I'm just on tilt right now after losing the 50 that I deposited 3 days ago.

[karasz]

ok... this is a good first step, usually you should learn how to play a game THEN play it...

but follow these 13 easy steps to a hopefully successful poker experience

1) go to www.holdempoker.com
2) click poker strategy...
3) copy the list of hands in each group...
4) go to www.holdem-winner.com
5) download freeware
6) you only have it for 15 days and can only see up to the flop
7) plug in each hand from each group and read what it says to do and what position to play the hands in (for the most part each hand in each different group is played the same way)

example
AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs are all in Group 1 the software says to play it by- Raise and Re-Raise... the hands in group 2 are to be called to see a flop...
and so on down the list...

8) make a list of this
9) study list
10) study it again
11) buy books on the game
12) play with friends
13) beat them, consistently
14) kick some online ass
15) repeat 13-15

that should help... also find a limit that you are comfortable playing at... dont play at the 10-20 tables cuz you need to get your money back or you will lose more...

and dont let losing get to ya... i mean ya it sucks but if it affects with 650 bucks imagine waht happens when you're at teh wsop and you lose 10k... (perhaps that analogy only works with me)

[nreed]

ok as far as the aces go, it isnt really normal but certainly does happen. Limit holdem online can be tough. 15/30 online is not really the way to go. Any limit 5/10 or more without being able to see the person is kinda a toss up, especially on party poker where people seem to think they are playing the craps tables. 3/6 or 4/8 i have found success at but really find the easiest money is at the single table tournaments. It costs you less and smart plays seem to hold up better. And as far as you losing all that money at first, if youve only been playing 5 months, dont worry about it. I dont know if you know who Howard Lederer is but he's an outstanding playing of all games and he lost the first 2 years he played. Ive read every book available and most all the good players have lost, Men Nguyen and Phil Helmuth lost tens of thousands when they first decided to take a shot at vegas. So keep playing, learn on the way and itl come to you.

[BeHiNdYa]

Thanks alot for the reply guys!! I am going to "eventually" start playing better poker online. I say eventually because I need to build up another small bankroll that I am willing to gamble with. Thanks again, and I hope noone has pocket Aces beat preturn anymore. Thanks again

[TheRightHand]

You should consider buying "Turbo Texas Hold'em"(TTH). It is a computer application program that will allow you to practice against programmed opponents. You would not be playing with real money so you wouldn't be losing money while you gain experience.

TTH is very sophisticated. You can customize the game in many ways. You can choose to play against many different opponents. You can even design your own opponents. You can incrrease of decrease the difficulty level. You can set up test scenarios. You can run simulations. Etc.

As you have discovered, learning to play poker well can be expensive, even at the lowest limits. If you're waiting while you re-build your stack before you resume playing on-line, one alternative is to play with play money. Unfortunately, this is largely a waste of time because play-money players don't take their bets seriously so there is little to learn. You would gain much more by spending the same amount of time practicing on TTH.

TTH is marketed by a company called Wilson Software. It costs $89.95. You can order it on-line from their web site at http://wilsonsw.com/

[Strongbad13]

On your commetn on AA losting two times in a row,

This happens a lot more at a .50/1.00 table than at a 1/2 2/4 or any higher limit.

i've found (i'm guilty of this as well) that at such low limit like .50/1.00 you are more likely to call someone to the end on a draw.

now double or triple the amount of money invovled, and people start to think a little more about the money they throw in. i would say if you have a decent bankroll and a decent grasp of the game maybe skip the .50/1.00 and go to 1.00/2.00. A lot of the people playing the .50/1.00 tables have a i'm throwing away the change in my couch for some entertainment mentality. That makes it tough to get them to fold. you basicaly will need a monster to win.

[Coconut]

To answer one of your questions. There are people who play online poker for a living. They are very few, but I do know of one for sure who makes a couple hundred a day. So it is indeed possible. But just play for the fun. If you are going to be stressed for long periods, then don't do it. Sure, a bad beat can make you angry for a day, but you have to scream, yell, cry, kick your dog, and play again with a CLEAR MIND. Good Luck